Virgil, a great Roman poet, was born on October 15, 70 B.C.E., in Northern Italy in a small village near the Alps. His real name was Publius Vergilious Maro. Although Virgil was born into a working class family, his father could still afford to send him to a school that gave a thorough education in Milan. He then went to Rome where he learned mathematics, medicine, and rhetoric. He finished his education in Naples. Later, he became a Roman citizen and was influenced by Lucretius's way of thinking, while his early poems were written in the way of Theocritus. During the rule of Octavian who later became known as Augustus, the Trojan war was fought and the battle of Actium was won. Octavian ordered poets to write about the glory of Rome under his rule. So Virgil spent the rest of his life from 30 to 19 B.C. creating The Aeneid. Virgil was not really happy about the poem so before his death he wanted it burned, but instead it was saved and became famous. Some of Virgil's most popular works: The Aenied The Georgics Eclogues Appendix Vergiliana
Some of Virgil's most popular works:
The Aenied
The Georgics
Eclogues
Appendix Vergiliana
http://www.suite101.com/content/virgil-biography-a74051
http://www.online-literature.com/virgil/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil
http://kirjasto.sci.fi/virgil.htm
http://www.virgil.org/vitae/